I’ve been reading everything I can get my hands on related to vegetarianism, veganism, conscious eating and anything else along those lines. One book that I HIGHLY recommend is Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating by Mark Bittman. Even if you aren’t a vegetarian I think you will like it, as it is written by an omnivore. He eats meat, but eats less of it and tries to eat closer to the ground with more whole foods- something I think everyone would benefit from doing. The second half of his book is full of  amazing recipes (though some contain animal products). I made two of them tonight. The first being a chicken dish that I modified (and will post shortly), the second one being his “Almost No-Work Whole Grain Bread”. I feel good eating a bread product that has only FIVE  ingredients… and it really was “almost no work”. This bread is dense and full-flavored; a definite 5 star in my book.

Almost No-Work Whole Wheat Bread

Ingredients:

3 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp instant yeast

2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

up to 1 cup chopped nuts, seeds, dried fruit or proofed whole grains

(I used quinoa and only had a little more than 1/2 cup)

*note: to use whole grains like cracked wheat, millet or quinoa, soak 1/2-3/4 cup grain in a small bowl, covered with water for an hour or so. Drain and add to dough as described.

Directions:

Combine the flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add the water and stir until blended; the dough should be wet and sticky but not liquid; add dome more water if it seems dry (I ended up having to add about 1/4 cup extra). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest in a warm place for at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours. The dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Rising time will be shorter at warmer temperatures, or a bit longer if your kitchen is chilly.

*note: for those of you who aren’t experienced bread-makers (like me) A good way to let dough rise is to turn your oven on warm (don’t open it or the heat will escape!) and then turn it off about 10 minutes before you put the dough in. The bread doesn’t need a super warm environment to rise. I wouldn’t have known this (I flopped 3 different bread recipes) without my bread-master of a mother who makes the best potato rolls EVER. I made my dough after dinner and let it rise overnight and while I was at work.

Use some oil to grease a loaf pan. Add the nuts, seeds, fruit or proofed whole grains with your hands or a rubber spatula. Transfer the dough to the loaf pan, and use a rubber spatula gently to settle it evenly. Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled- about an hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

bake the bread until deep golden and hollow-sounding when tapped, about 45 minutes. (An instant-read thermometer should register 200 degrees when inserted into the center of the loaf) Immediately turn out of the pan onto a rack and let it cool at least 30 minutes before slicing.

(Slightly Modified) Greenmarket Salad

For the dressing:

1 small avocado, peeled and pitted

1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

1 green onion, white and one inch of green, coarsely chopped

1-2 Tbs chopped shallot (I used 2 because I love shallots)

1/2 small jalepeno

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup olive oil

freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:

1 large bowlful of mixed fresh salad greens

1 large handful of sprouts (I used a mix of clover, lentil, radish, adzuki and sunflower)

1/2 cup raw walnuts

1/2 red sweet pepper, chopped

sliced yellow mango (optional- they are in season and I was craving them, so they got tossed in)

pinch of course sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

]]> http://katelynvonfeldt.com/blog/archives/1158/feed 2 http://katelynvonfeldt.com/blog/archives/1083 http://katelynvonfeldt.com/blog/archives/1083#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:48:56 +0000 Katelyn http://katelynvonfeldt.com/blog/?p=1083 Ashra-huh? I’m currently reading “The Face on Your Plate” by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson. This word appears on the very first page.

Ashrayaparavrtti is a Sanskrit word. Paravrtti- is like a somersault, ashraya- is one’s home base. Essentially, it means letting go of everything you have always believed or understood for a leap into the unknown. As Masson writes “Many people become vegan in just that way: a sudden moment, a blinding insight, a turning one’s back on conventional wisdom- in this case- a conventional diet.”

10 days ago, I stopped consuming all foods that come from animals. No beef, poultry, fish, milk, butter, cheese or eggs-and it has gone much smoother than I anticipated. It really wasn’t even a decision I had to make. In my mind, there was no other choice. I’ve had countless people ask me “why” or “don’t you think you’ll miss meat?” if they don’t ask either of those things- they call me a hippie. I want to keep my blog neutral, so I won’t preach about my opinions on this topic. However, if you want to know more, you can read this and this and/or watch this.

So now that I’m not eating meat, what do I eat? Lots of fruit, beans, veggies and whole grains. The key to keeping sane is to not deprive myself. I didn’t think it was possible, but I am more in love with cooking now than I have ever been! Taking a traditional meal or dessert, turning it vegan AND having it taste as good (if not better) than the original makes me jump for joy.

Here are two dishes I made back in January before actually making the transition.

Butternut Squash and Pomegranate Galette

Original recipe courtesy of Sunday Suppers

Savory Pie Dough :

3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
20 twist of a pepper mill
1 cup of Earth Balance, separated in small chunks
1/4 cup ice-cold water
½ butternut squash – halved and deseeded, and sliced
½ red onion sliced with root end still intact
3 tbsp Earth Balance
2 tbsp chopped fresh sage
Handful of pomegranate seeds
4 tbsp chopped toasted walnuts
Salt
Fresh pepper
Good quality extra virgin olive oil

Measure out flour, salt and pepper into a food processor. Mix well. Add the Earth Balance and pulse till butter resembles small pea size pieces. Add water while pulsing processor. Stop once the dough becomes a ball. Lay out a piece of clear wrap, lay the dough on it, flatten to a thick disk (or two) while wrapping. Allow to rest for at least ½ hour. (Dough Recipe by Camille Becerra )
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Slice the squash and cut the onion into equal width wedges—about ½ inch thick. Mix with Earth Balance, sage, salt and pepper and toss.

Roll out dough on lightly floured surface into 12 inch round and transfer to baking sheet. With each wedge beginning at center of the dough, fan squash and onions into pinwheel shape, overlapping and covering entire center of the round—leaving a few inch border. If you are making a large galette, you can form an outer row of veggies. Gently fold remaining dough over the edge of the filling, forming a freeform tart crust. Beat egg with a splash of water and brush over the crust. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until crust is golden brown and squash pierces easily with a fork.

While tart cools, sprinkle toasted walnuts and pomegranate seeds over top.

When ready to serve drizzle generously with very good extra virgin olive oil. Crack fresh black pepper and sprinkle coarse sea salt.

*While this tart was fairly time consuming to make, it is TOTALLY worth it. I can honestly say it is one of THE best foods I have ever tasted.

Next up:

Vegan German Chocolate Cake

• Cake:
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup canola oil
• 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups cold water
• Sift flour, sugar, salt, soda, and cocoa together into a 9 x 13 inch ungreased cake pan. Make three wells. Pour oil into one well, vinegar into second, and vanilla into third well. Pour cold water over all, and stir well with fork.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes, or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

Icing: (recipe from here)

1 cup plain soymilk
1/3 cup coconut milk (may use lite coconut milk)
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup water until smooth
2 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

In a medium saucepan, mix the soymilk, coconut milk, sugar, and vanilla together. Add the cornstarch mixture and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens. Cook for one minute after it boils. Remove from heat and stir in coconut and pecans.

Allow to cool for about 10 minutes (mixture should still be warm) before spreading on cake.

Makes enough for one 2-layer 8-inch cake. (I used a cake slicer and cut the 2 layers into 4 layers)

Tell me those dishes don’t look delicious!

Tonight, I ran the FURTHEST DISTANCE I HAVE EVER RUN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m not quite sure how I did it, and its nothing amazing compared to a marathon runner. But, for me, it’s one of my greatest accomplishments. For someone who started out in May of 2008 not even able to run the distance of more than 2 light poles lining the sidewalk-I have worked up to 5.5 miles! I meant to train and actually run in Jacksonville’s Gate River Run (15k) last year, and got close to this point-but way later in the game and then I quit. Not this year. I’m nearly to a 10k and that makes me want to jump for joy.

I was inspired earlier this year by one of my favorite photographers: Bobbi of Bobbie and Mike. She started posting “healthy train” posts and I was hooked-going to her blog often to check in and see her progress. This post really made me want to get moving.

And so I have. Here’s my track record:

You can see I started out really well at the beginning of the year and tapered WAY off. I started again in the summer. In August I was running just over 2 miles at an 11:00 minute mile.

In October I went from nearly 3 miles to 5 miles in just a few days AND decreased my time. I think Friday’s time was a 10:15 min mile pace.

And tonight I ran 5.52 miles at a 9.34 minute mile pace. Big difference in a short amount of time. (btw that time stamp is lying. NO WAY did I run at 3 am)

To illustrate the point further:

I really can’t believe how far I’ve come. I’ve always ALWAYS struggled with my weight (what I felt to be ideal) and self-esteem. Lately, I’ve made it my goal to concentrate on being the healthiest I can be-and not just my appearance. I eat whole grains and try every day to get 5 servings of fruits and vegetables (and it is HARD) and no more soda (not even diet).

For the first time, I’m learning to love myself and what my body can do. It has made ALL the difference in SO many aspects of my life. I’m truly happy, for the first time in a very long time.

I know my writing is not very eloquent-but I hope this post inspires you to take even one step toward being a healthier person.